She sat silent in the corner. A black scarf covered the top of her head. Only a few words were exchanged. Her conversation came in the form of intricate designs on my sister’s hand. She traced the design on my sister’s skin with a henna cone and her free hand. There wasn’t a guidebook of henna templates or drawings that she copied. Instead, the fingers and her imagination created the detailed paving of lines on my sister’s palm. I [...]
Inspiration
I finished. This past Sunday I participated in my second half-marathon. A few days before, family and friends asked, “Are you ready?” It was difficult to answer this question because in all honesty I really never know whether I am ready to run 13.1 miles. The first few miles are always inspiring. I always notice who runs with me. There were women in pink and yellow tutus, hula skirts, and ones who ran in honor of a loved one. Some [...]
There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle. Albert Einstein Two days ago, every single instance of inconvenience created a churning irritability in my gut. Each one of us has experienced days when we feel everything is a nuisance. Even though there is nothing really “wrong” we channel that energy into a negative mood. Part of me wallowed in this defeatist attitude. My [...]
For the first time this year, I am dedicating the days of 2012 to one word: compassion. In the past I’ve written resolutions. By mid-February these goals are lost in the shuffle of life. Keeping a single word in mind will enforce a clarity that is new territory for me, but a plan that I am wholly enthusiastic about. My need to embrace compassion came from an unexpected source. Last year I read The Same Kind of Different As Me, [...]
But what minutes! Count them by sensation, and not by calendars, and each moment is a day. ~Benjamin Disraeli New Year’s Eve is something that I’ve never quite understood. In all honesty, the celebration of time passing carries sadness for me. Because the movement of the clock is so pensive, counting down the seconds to the next year is not an activity I relish. My past has brought me to above realization. In 2008, I witnessed New Year’s Eve in [...]
I knocked on the door but no one answered. A lone black container took vigil on the porch. I knocked again. Silence. The door stayed closed. I know it won’t open, but yet I am not ready to say goodbye. My car keys slip out of my hand. The jingle of the metal landing on the porch took me to a time when I had the right keys to enter. Not anymore. I drove to my childhood home in September [...]
December 11 marked the 51st wedding anniversary of my parents. I called my Mom to wish her Happy Anniversary not quite certain if I should dial the phone. “Happy Anniversary Mom,” I said in my most upbeat voice. She, of course, said “Thank You.” We talked about my father and I cracked a joke about him. My Mom chuckled, reminding me of the tone of my daughter’s belly laugh. She ended the conversation with choked backed tears and a hollow [...]
“Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world. ” John Milton On Sunday morning, the desert sky hid from me. The day spoke of little light, tears streaming down the sidewalk, and the taste of gritty sand in my mouth. I made a decision to commit to my morning run despite the overcast and pensive hover of the clouds. Rain is a novelty in [...]
Last week marked two years in this space. Two years. It is amazing to me. This blogging adventure started as a way to channnel my grief about my father. There are days when the sadness outweighs the goodness.The grief is always there. It doesn’t disappear. But because I write about my father and grief, I honor and keep him alive. And that reminds me of all the beauty in my own world, despite the lingering echo of sadness. It gives [...]
She grabbed my hand. Not now, is what I wanted to say, but instead, her fingers intertwined with mine without hesitation. I knew her questions would come next. My mind gravitated toward my to-do list, a mental blueprint of all the things I felt compelled to do. Drive to the store to get groceries. Pay the bills. Do the laundry. Write. Exercise. “Momma, can we color? Please. Please.” My five year old runs with her steel pail as crayons fell [...]
